[1] Uncut magazine ranked Avalanche at number 59 of its "Albums of the Year" for 2003 and said of Gilmore: "You can hear her growing in stature with every record she makes.

The Independent considered the album to be Gilmore taking "the final step to the forefront of British singer-songwriters, with 12 songs that establish her as the most prolific and intelligent wordsmith of her generation".

[5] AllMusic's Hal Horowitz gave it four stars, stating the album saw her "moving a bit closer to the mainstream", also calling the songs "some of her best".

[3] Adam Sweeting, for The Guardian, also gave it four stars, writing that it saw her "blazing her own path towards classic status as a songwriter".

[4] Billboard's Steve Adams called it "an astonishingly literate collection of songs that marks another career leap".